Leinster residents hope for restart after closure of BHP nickel mines
Chloe Craig wants Haylee to have a similar upbringing to what she had. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Chloe Craig wants to give her daughter Haylee the same childhood she experienced growing up in a mining town described as an "oasis in the desert".
Leinster was established in vast bushland about 970 kilometres north-east of Perth during Western Australia's 1970s nickel boom.
It was built for workers and their families in the days before fly-in, fly-out work rosters became standard practice in the resources sector.
Leinster is small and remote, but locals love the lifestyle. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Ms Craig's family moved to WA's northern Goldfields in 1991 and lived on a pastoral station, before settling in the "closed town" of Leinster.
"It's a great lifestyle … I've grown up here, now she's growing up here," she said of Haylee.
"The freedom she gets out here is second to none and not a lot of kids get it these days.
"It definitely isn't the same as when I grew up — there was a lot more kids and a lot more freedom … you came home when the lights came on."
Chloe Craig runs a smash repair business with her partner. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Bombshell announcement
A year ago, that lifestyle appeared to be under threat.
The moment Leinster locals hoped would never come arrived in the form of a major announcement to the stock exchange on July 11, 2024.
BHP's decision to suspend Nickel West originated from the mining giant's global headquarters in Melbourne and filtered through the ranks of the nickel bosses in Perth's St George's Terrace.
"Everyone's heart sank, it was the unknown," Ms Craig said.
"It was massive for the town. At the time it was horrible."
Harry Reynolds runs Leinster Smash Repairs with his partner Chloe Craig. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
The town's population halved, virtually overnight, as workers either took redundancies or were redeployed within BHP.
"Not on Christmas Day, but leading up to it and afterwards, there were removalist trucks everywhere and people leaving left, right and centre," Chloe's partner Harry Reynolds said.
"We thought we were safe out here for a long time, we thought nickel was all good.
"Then all of a sudden, they shut the doors."
BHP estimates the population at Leinster has fallen from about 600 people to 220.
The Leinster Nickel Operations have been owned by BHP since its 2005 acquisition of WMC Resources. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
State agreement covers Leinster
West Australian law prohibits BHP from simply walking away from Leinster.
Under the Nickel (Agnew) Agreement Act 1974, which was approved when Sir Charles Court was premier, the Big Australian is legally bound to provide water and power to the town site.
It is also required to provide housing for police, education and medical staff for the town.
Workers who live permanently in Leinster enjoy heavily subsidised housing and free utilities.
Any change of the status quo requires state parliament's approval.
The most recent update, in 2023, required BHP to prepare a community development plan, including "proposed strategies for community and social benefits" and to review its mine closure plans.
The leafy town of Leinster is maintained by BHP, which provides essential services. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
It was the modernisation of the five-decade-old state agreement which gave Ms Craig's father, Peter, hope for the future amid major investment by BHP in an Australian-first nickel sulphate plant.
That addition to Nickel West's Kwinana refinery was expected to produce enough nickel sulphate crystals to make 700,000 electric vehicle batteries each year.
"When you see mining companies spending money, it gives you a sense of security," Mr Craig, the long-serving president of the Shire of Leonora, said.
"Leinster was moving pretty fast for a two, three-year period, and nickel was pretty steady until the bombshell hit with Indonesia."
Peter Craig has lived in Leinster since the 1990s. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Indonesia's emergence as a globally significant, low-cost nickel producer caught Australian producers off guard and changed market dynamics.
The result was at least 10 nickel mines closed across WA last year, from the Savannah mine in the Kimberley to the Ravensthorpe mine on the south coast.
The impact is magnified in the one-pub town of Leinster, where sombre celebrations are being planned for the town's 50th anniversary next year.
"It's been a huge downturn in the population of Leinster, around 50 per cent if not more," Mr Craig said.
"But we're here and we're still ticking over and, credit to BHP, all the facilities are all still operating."
The entrance to the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter is decorated with hard hats, personal danger tags and locks from employees who signed off for the last time in 2024. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
He had been calling for answers leading up to the suspension announcement after months of speculation, during which he said the community was kept in the dark.
The question on everyone's lips is whether the Leinster nickel operations will ever restart.
"Who knows what the future is?" Mr Craig said.
Review limbo until 2027
BHP has committed to reviewing its Nickel West business again in early 2027, which not only includes the Leinster operations but the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter and Kwinana refinery.
BHP vice-president of WA nickel Dan Heal said about 350 of the 3,500-strong workforce has stayed on at Nickel West, including about 150 in the northern Goldfields at Leinster and Mount Keith.
Dan Heal says about 350 workers have stayed on for care and maintenance at Nickel West. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
He would not say whether Nickel West would be put up for sale, but confirmed the Perseverance underground mine at Leinster was being maintained "in a state that keeps our options open for the future".
"It's very early stages of our review and what comes next for nickel," Mr Heal said.
"That work is in its early phases — it's too early to say, but the team is working through those options right now."
Those options could be limited by low nickel prices which are expected to last towards the end of the decade.
Mathew Read and his young family moved to Leinster from New Zealand during the pandemic. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Business community hopeful
Members of Leinster's small business community who have invested heavily in the town's future are taking a glass half-full approach.
Mathew Read manages a mechanical business, after moving to the town from New Zealand during the pandemic.
"It's sad to see the town reduced to a small size," he said.
"I'm not so sure if it will reopen or not … they're [BHP] spending a lot of money on the place, but whether it reopens or not I am not too sure.
"We'll remain here in Leinster, we've definitely got a few years left here, as long as the town stays open, we'll be here for a long time yet."
Tim Fletcher has operated an electrical contracting business in Leinster for the past decade. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Tim Fletcher has worked in Leinster since 2011, and now runs his own electrical contracting business.
"Long-term, I think it's going to be OK … I've got a positive outlook in regards to Nickel West," he said.
"We're not running away — we're set up, we're established … they're playing the long game."
Santina Morelli has lived in Leinster for eight years and runs a small business and volunteers for St John Ambulance. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Santina Morelli has lived in Leinster for eight years with her husband, who works at the nearby Agnew gold mine.
Her home decor business sells everything from baby clothes to household items but she has been supplementing her income by working part-time at the local supermarket.
"It's a ghost town during the day … it's very quiet," Ms Morelli said.
"You don't see the children running around having fun like we used to.
"There's quite a few families still in town — we've got 60 children in the school, but there was 120 before the shut down, so quite a few have left town."
She volunteers for St John Ambulance and hopes to stay in Leinster until retirement in the coming years.
"We love the lifestyle — it's not an easy lifestyle, but it's a simple one," Ms Morelli said.
"Definitely hopeful [the mines will reopen] … we ask questions and 2027 is when we'll get the answer."
Chloe Craig and Haylee at the Leinster playgroup. (ABC Goldfields: Jarrod Lucas)
Ms Craig and Mr Reynolds have no desire to move.
"I've got no plans to leave … I want to be out here as long as possible," Mr Reynolds said.
Ms Craig said she would wait to see what the future brought.
"A lot of us who have stayed behind have young kids and we're happy to stay if the mine reopens," she said.
"We're struggling, but we're still here — that's the main bit."